Wiggly Baby

Two things reaffirm an expectant mother like nothing else:

1. a brand new, cute baby bump, and

2. "quickening"

Dear Son,

You are a very active little boy, and you only weigh a pound! You definitely have a schedule and stick to it pretty regularly. I notice that you get to moving around 11 am, 1 pm, 9:30-11:30 pm, and I think sometime around 3 am. I have been waking up for no apparent reason around then every night for the past two weeks, but last night I think you rolled completely over or did a flip which puts a lot of pressure on my belly. Then, you got the hiccups, your most recent accomplishment. I was a little uncomfortable and I'm a light sleeper, so I laid awake for a while amazed at your little body developing perfectly as God is forming you. I'm told that the hiccups won't be too cute for much longer and will make me feel like I'm the one with them. Also, your twisting, turning, kicking, and jabbing is going to get a lot more forceful and painful for me- but all a sign that you are growing and healthy and strong.

I'm sure you move around more than I recognize, but those are the times that I can expect you to be active. Sometimes, I just feel a ton of pressure in one area or another and you are either stretching or turning completely over. Mostly, it's just jabs. Also, sometimes I can tell that your whole body is on one side or high or low. Last week, I was sitting on the couch, enjoying feeling you move around, when I noticed that I could actually see you moving my tummy. That, of course, fascinated me. Daddy saw it last night. He's a little freaked out by being able to see and feel you (kind of like you are an alien) but it's all new to him and he'll adjust soon, I know.

Oh little boy, I am so excited to get to meet you and hold you, but I already know that you are going to be hard to keep up with. I bet you run everywhere like your Daddy did when he was little (and older). I can't wait!

With love,
Mommy

Picture Post

Past due belly bump pictures

17 weeks with Shannon Dial at the South Plains Fair. I think this is when I
started looking more pregnant and less just fat.

I have a 19 week picture, but I look horrible...

20 weeks- halfway there!!! This is the day we had our anatomic ultrasound.

Baby clothes collection thus far: from the clinic in Olney, Kenton & Suzan, to Scott from me, and my mom.

More to come. I'm starting to really like my belly now, so I'm much more willing to strike a pose!

Scott's Granny

This is a great story and warms my heart.

For those that don't know, Scott's Granny (Suzan's mom) has a form of dementia that is similar to Parkinson's. She has been battling this for about 7 years and a year ago went to live at a nursing home/care facility about 30 miles away. When she moved there, she was ill, had just gotten over a bladder surgery, was hallucinating all the time, and could not fend for herself. Grandpa was taking care of her 24/7 and it was wearing him down, too. The decision was a very hard one, but has benefited everyone tremendously.

So, since that time, she has been very well cared for and Grandpa has made significant improvements as well. Sometimes, she is just a lucid as can be, but most of the time, she is talking to people who aren't there, about things that didn't happen, or if she's had some pain meds for her arthritis, she is completely zonked.

My OB is a few blocks from her home, so we go visit when I have an appointment. Last Thursday after my U/S, we went to see her. She waved us into her room and we told her we were there after my appointment. She asked how everything was going and if we knew what it was yet. Scott told her it was a boy but made sure to mention that Kenton doesn't want to know the gender. She laughed and asked when it was due. We told her March 6th and she knew that was Kenton's birthday and that her daughter's birthday was around then on March 3rd. It was a very good visit. :)

Then on Sunday, Suzan went to see her and asked if we came to visit her. She said yes, on Thursday. She asked if we had told her about the baby and she said, "Yes, it's a boy!". Then she sat up, covered her mouth, and looked around the room. Suzan asked what was wrong and she whispered that Kenton didn't want to know (she thought she had seen him). She also knew the due date.

Such an encouragement to all of us! I think she fixates on one thing at a time and remembers every detail. It warms my heart for her to cling to this and gives us something to look forward to talking with her about at each visit. Hopefully it will help her keep track of time a little. It's such an exciting time for us and I'm so happy that she is able to take part in our joy!!

Awesome Ultrasound Experience :)

Today we had our 20 week anatomic ultrasound- it was so awesome!!

I've ultrasounded lots of different animals and even ultrasounded myself several times, but this was different. The probe wasn't in my hand, the machine was so much more advanced than the one we use, and the tech was amazing and made the experience so much fun!

Our baby was asleep for the first half of the exam and was very "photogenic" so it was really easy for her to get good measurements and get some great views. Everything looked great and was measuring a week ahead of schedule. Then she woke our baby up and got some great action shots and felt it punch her probe.

So, without further ado, here is our son!



Cute nose and big lips like Daddy & Mommy- he kept moving them the whole time!




Long runners legs and big feet




Both feet with cute toes




Definitely a boy- he and Daddy are pretty proud of that!

 Okay Grandparents, you can start buying boy stuff now! And yes, we do have a few names picked out, but we will keep those to ourselves until he's here and it's on the birth certificate. That gets to be our little secret!

Thanks again for everyone's love, support, prayers, and excitement. We can't wait to meet him and introduce you to our son!

Baby Back-Blog

I'm a slacker.

Okay, we'll back up to September 1st. That was Scott's 29th birthday. Because I had gotten his Mater's diploma framed for our anniversary (and matched it exactly!) he didn't want me to spend a whole lot on his present this year. So I contacted a 2nd cousin-in-law-twice-removed who makes fabulous custom baby clothes and had this made for him:


Front



Back

He was actually really excited by it and I got a "Cool!" out of him. For those that know him, this is a very big deal. 

That weekend, Kendra, Suzan, and Rachel came up to the clinic to see the baby on ultrasound. For those of you that know them, you can just imagine the oohs, squeals, and general girliness that that little excursion entailed. I am lucky to have supportive in-laws that are excited and will spoil our child.

September 20th was our second OB appointment at 16 weeks. Everything was progressing and growing according to plan. We heard the heartbeat for the first time and got 156 beats per minute (girl zone, if you believe the old wives tale). My lab work all came back normal except for that I do not have a titer to a disease called Toxoplasmosis. Toxo is a disease that is caused by a protozoa and spread by cat feces. It can cause miscarriage and developmental abnormalities in the fetus of pregnant women- that's why pregnant women aren't supposed to change litter boxes. The fact that I don't have a titer means I've never been exposed to Toxo and if I caught the disease, I might face problems. Strange because I've had cats all my life and work on sick cats all the time. Oh well, one more thing to be concerned about and a definite way to get out of cleaning up cat poop!

The very next night, as I was falling asleep, I was palpating my uterus (yes, I am strange, but still fascinated by how large it is!) and felt some strange poking or gas bubbles lower in my abdomen. They kept going for about 5 minutes and I told Scott that I definitely knew it was the baby kicking!! All the next day and every day since then I have felt it kicking, squirming, punching, and rolling around- so incredibly amazing. I think once you've felt that, there is nothing else to compare it to. One friend compared it to popcorn popping in a bag, another said it reminded her of a goldfish hitting the sides of a bag- both descriptions are great! The other thing is that sometimes you can tell the baby is completely flipping around or pushing against one side because there is some crazy pressure on my uterus and body wall.

Scott felt the baby kick last week (the 12th I think?)- I was really excited for him to feel it, but all I got was a "huh". Again, if you know Scott, you know that he's just not really expressive or excitable. Still, for my sake, there could have been a little more effort involved on his part. I think he's probably like most first time dad's: scared (but will never admit to it), nervous, not sure what to think, and it's not really real until they hold that baby.

There haven't really been any more milestones to speak of since then. I do definitely have my energy back and no horrible heartburn or indigestion. I have started showing (mostly because I think the baby flipped around and is more forward than it was) and people are starting to notice and ask me about it. My feet have started swelling a little when I'm on my feet a lot because my socks leave imprints on my ankles. My weight is shifting forward and pulling my back muscles, although I'm not waddling yet. I've gained a little over 10 pounds, but I've been told it's all in my belly and boobs. Hopefully I don't get in trouble for weight gain from my OB because honestly, I haven't been eating well, which is hard to do when you work over 50 hours a week.

AND LASTLY: I ultrasounded myself on October 13th and DEFINITELY know what the sex of the baby is. So do the rest of the office and Scott. But we're not telling anyone until I go to the real doctor on October 20th when I have my 20 week anatomical ultrasound. Until then.... ; )

Dairy Update

So, what's new at Twin Oaks?

Well, like the rest of Texas, we've had a severe drought this past summer with over 70 days of 100+ degree heat. What that means for us, besides being miserably uncomfortable, is that a few of our tanks (ponds for my Okie friends) went dry and we had to take water to some of our cows in various pastures, and because the grass didn't grow, we only got one cutting of hay baled the first part of June. Our cows were hot, dry, and hungry all summer. Cows like that don't produce much milk and are at increased risk for disease because they are stressed. Let's not mention the stress of the dairy farmers....

So, because 98% of Texas was in a severe drought, everyone and their mother was looking for and buying and shipping hay of all kinds from anywhere they could find it. Hay is scarce and now very expensive. We have managed to stockpile enough hay to last through February but after that who knows? It will all get figured out and we'll go on.

We did get about 5 inches of rain last weekend and another inch or so this past Monday, so things are starting to look nice and green around here, finally! Most of the cracks in the ground are gone and the tanks are a little deeper than they were a week ago. However, shorter, cooler days are becoming more and more the norm which will, once again, turn the grass dormant. Even so, hopefully we'll have just enough water in our tanks and just enough grass to graze to get through the winter. Maybe.

Milk prices have gone up, as have all food prices, but the costs of hay and fuel have eaten into our profits. Last I heard, we were exporting more dairy products, which is always good for business. There is a lot of "dairy policy" going on right now in Washington to help regulate the way milk is sold in this country, which may help stabilize milk prices a little and take the stock market out of the equation. We'll see how that goes.

So, that is the state of affairs for now. Kenton and Scott continue to pour their life and soul into this livelihood and Suzan and I stand back and let them do it and try to be supportive all at the same time. Scott has gotten a part time job selling semen to dairies in our county and our two neighboring counties, so he is learning that business and looking forward to dabbling in something new. Other than that, we are preparing for the long winter and enjoying the temperate weather and rain!

Housing Concerns

When Scott and I got married, his Grandpa completely remodeled (as in gutted) this cute little one bedroom house that was built behind his house. The previous owner had a daughter that had moved back to Bowie to teach school and they built her a little place of her own. Grandpa made the kitchen a little bigger, knocked out the wall between the living room and bedroom to make it an efficiency and replaced literally everything except the 2 ceiling fans and toilet. The result is the cute little house that we have made home for the past 2 years.

Living Room

Kitchen

I love this house. We have made it a home and definitely made it ours. It does get small at times and it gets cluttered fast because everything is so close and has it's place. We went through our "honeymoon" and then our "adjustment" phase here together. We've worked through many problems and it's the only place we can relax together. So many memories in such a short amount of time.

But.... as my dear friend Salli once lamented, "I have no place for a crib!!!" Yes, I know that newborns don't take up much space- really they just need a bassinet, maybe a swing or something (at this point, sadly, I don't really know). But there are other things that I know I'll need and don't have- like storage for one. A bathtub or large sink to clean it for another. The whole house, except the bathroom, is basically one room and we have enough trouble with all of our junk without having to figure out where to stash bottles, diapers, clothes and so much more.

We have looking into buying something in town, and yes, it is a buyer's market. The problem there is that it's almost impossible to find something worth buying that is in a good neighborhood, isn't run down, and is pretty much move in ready- all for a price that we can afford. I gave Scott a deadline of Thanksgiving to be moved. It's October 18th. Good luck....

Don't get me wrong; I'm not picky, I'm not wanting anything extravagant, I don't need everything perfect. I do need and want a place to call our own. And I need to start nesting and preparing so that I can get excited about our baby getting here and having a place to be a family. I know I shouldn't be, but I'm super stressed about where we're going to live and getting settle in. And I know that's not good for the baby. It's just that everything is soooo up in the air and that traditionally hasn't worked for me- some of you are shaking your head.

So the search continues.....

Mister Pumpkin

One of my favorite Fall traditions (in our family anyhow) is when Mister Pumpkin comes to see us. When we were little, one morning mid-October each year we would find painted small pumpkins at our place at the breakfast table. Sounds cheesy, but we loved it!

Since graduation, Mister Pumpkin has always managed to find me (and Scott) and send me a cute little pumpkin. This year, we got our orange-wrapped package in the mail and wondered if Mr. P had remembered the baby. He did not disappoint!!!

Mommy, Baby, & Daddy Pumpkin

Bad Blogger

Yes, I know that I'm supposed to be updating very often, especially with a new baby on the way, BUT if you just knew what all I'd been up to, you'd be exhausted with me. So, here's the list of topics I need to blog about, just so I don't forget:

Baby Update, before and after next week's anatomic ultrasound (read: we'll find out what it is!)

Dairy Update

House Search Update

South Plains Fair

Mr. Pumpkin

Okay, that should keep me busy and get me up to date. Stay tuned....